May 2024
Hi all
I'm looking for some recommendations on an automatic family car.... Read more
Hi, im looking for some advice.
My VW Polo 23 plate sprung a leak in the radiator a few days ago, quite substantially.
I phoned VW to see how soon I could take it in to be repaired and was told the earliest appointment they had was on the 17th June however if I used the VW assistant programme, I could get it in sooner which I did and it was taken in that day.
Fast forward 4 days and they tell me it was due to a manufacturing error because a bung wasn’t tightened enough on the radiator before it was released, my issue is - I’d not long filled my own car up with fuel however having had a curtesy car for 4 days, is it right that I should have to cover the cost of refuelling it if my own car had an issue through no fault of my own?
I could understand if I was the one to cause the issue however it’s only 7 months old (thankfully under warranty) and while I’m extremely grateful that I could be provided with a replacement, it’s also left me out of pocket for the fact I’ve had to now refuel a second car.
Is this something I should ask about or do I just leave it and refuel the curtesy car?
Thank you Read more
If the courtesy car was full when you got it, it's fair to return it full since your own car still has its fuel.
My colleague has recently paid £2500 to have the panoramic roof replaced on his 17 plate Audi Allroad. He waited 3 months for the parts to arrange and the dealer took 4 days to complete the repair although some minor parts are still outstanding.
But according to the Telegraph this fault affects all VAG cars . Apparently the sunroof is fitted in a cassette which is glued to the roof. The problem appears when the glue fails.... Read more
Totally agree. I had a persistent minor leak in my SLK. A few garages looked at it and couldn't sort it. But some Sikalastomer - 710 Butyl Sealant as used in caravans and motorhome windows fixed it.
Butyl sealant is good stuff because it remains pliable. I have used it for sealing rear lights against water ingress, and shed windows.
Morning All,
After some advice from you helpful people as I'm on a dreadful run of buying cars that let me down within a couple of years despite my best efforts into researching them!... Read more
‘ If you do buy a charger make sure it is compatible with whatever tariff you might be looking at. With Octopus I think it is mainly the Ohme ones.’
It’s only Intelligent Octopus Go (a tariff that watches wholesale electricity prices every 30 minutes) that requires a compatible charger. The regular Octopus Go tariff will work with any charger, as will every other supplier’s tariff.
I know folks that use a 3 pin plug to run their EV, but they’re low mileage users - at c2.2kW output, it’ll take 24 hours to fully charge a 40kW/h battery.
Be aware that LEAF does use a charging socket that isn’t now the most common (putting it mildly) on public chargers, so any search for amps will have to be filtered to look for Chademo connections. You will find them in the wild at existing sites, but I don’t see many being installed now.
My friend has had two wheels damaged by potholes and one tyre.
The tyres are 35 profile and the tyre store reported that he had seen seven similar cases recently.... Read more
Didn't say steel wheels were "exempt from cracking", but most things are relative, and I would say they are relatively exempt from cracking.
I'd think it a fair bet that an alloy wheel would have been destroyed in the incident I describe above, and if it were repairable, it would have required a bit more than a BFH and the willingness to use it....
Hey all,
Recently got a new car that I insured in the middle of march for £1,894 (ouch).
Out of curiosity I re-quoted for the car as I will of passed my test on the 14th and be droving for 5 years and my insurance has gone down a lot.
I'm currently getting quotes from my same insurer (esure flex) for £992 and sheilas wheels for £1100 on the 14th of may.
I have checked with my current insurer (esure flex) who will offer me a refund of £1550.73 to cancel my policy early, meaning if I re-insure with them again with the cheaper quote I will be getting £500+ back.
Im aware I will be missing out on just over a month towards my no-claims bonus but this does not bother me.
My question is there anything wrong with doing this? Can I be penalised or anything for cancelling my insurance early and taking out another quote with the same insurer?
TI; dr: Quoted in march (esure flex) £1,894. Checked to reinsure with same company its £992, saving massive if I cancel insurance early. Is this okay to do?
Thanks! Read more
It may be of interest that when I spoke to my insurer about the increase in renewal premium, I asked if taking my wife off cover would affect this.
The answer was it would increase the cost, but not as much as substituting my 49 year old daughter as named driver....
Hi
... Read more
A Lexus is a good safe option. They don’t go wrong, they’re very well made and they’re very comfortable things to sit in. I couldn’t bring myself to spend so much on a car short of a lottery win but a Lexus would be on my shortlist if someone offered to buy me a car to last a long time. I’ve sold and owned many of its parent firms products over the years without any breakdowns or major failures. They’re good cars.
I wouldn’t touch a diesel Mazda after their recent poor record with derv powered engines. Best avoided, even if they’ve finally got it right the trade will factor in the risk based on previous products and thus depreciation will be huge.
The Genesis is a good car I imagine but as with Infinity they’re not making any real inroads into the UK market and depreciation is likely to be high and there’s always the risk they’ll pull out of what is a tiny market for them.
My vote is Lexus.
Hello All,
I booked my year 2020 VW Golf MK8 in for two new front tyres and a full wheel alignment at my local tyre centre and they said that they were unable to carry out the wheel alignment as my car was an Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) equipped vehicle and they did not have the equipment capable of carrying out the ADAS recalibration following a wheel alignment. I was told that recalibration is required whenever there is a change in wheel alignment on an ADAS-equipped vehicle. This is because the system’s sensors must accurately calibrate to the new wheel alignment. There is no mention about this in my Golf's owner's manual.
Does anyone know if Volkswagen advise that ADAS recalibration should be performed after a wheel alignment? I would be interested to hear if anyone has experienced the same issue that I have had including on other makes of cars and I would be grateful for any advice.
Thank you.... Read more
When the car was originally built the wheel alignment will have been set to factory specification and the ADAS calibrated to that.
If you have the wheel alignment reset to factory spec then the ADAS calibration as it is now should therefore be correct....
Hi,
I purchased an Approved used Audi Q2 last September, the MOT was due in March this year. I asked the dealership if they would MOT the car before purchase, but they said they only do this if less than 6 months left on MOT, but offered me a free MOT test when due. As Audi boast about their 150 point checks, I wasn't too concerned.... Read more
It's only an 'advisory' and you can accept or ignore advice. Have a good look at the tyres and form your own opinion.
I assume from your OP that this is the car's first MoT ? So the tyres are probably as old as the car and will probably show incipient cracking anyway, which a fastidious tester may choose to report ?
A friend complained that he's been quoted £350 for a replacement light unit, is there any one who repairs these or is this yet another 'improvement' that we have had imposed on us at our expense? Read more
Just before Covid struck I had a six month consultancy contract at the design HQ of a company that makes very expensive cars (I'm not going to name them). Now by coincidence I already owned one of these cars and it had a cracked rear light lens (caused by me reversing into a bin on my driveway). The dealer price for a new light unit was well over £1000 and so I had been looking for a secondhand replacement. When I started my contract I asked if they had any used units available (e.g. left over from testing or sc***ped test cars). I was told 'No, but you can buy a new part at cost price'. It turned out that employees could purchase parts at cost price for cars that they owned (on production of a V5 registration document in the employees name). Even though I was a contractor they let me use the scheme. The new light unit cost less than £30 !!
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The globally ubiquitous Stellantis powertrain of the 1.2 puretech engine and reliable maintenance-free Aisin EAT6 gearbox is found in many family cars, especially Peugeots, Citroens and Vauxhalls in the UK. I'd avoid anything earlier than 2019, because their Dayco cambelts were prone to crumbling, especially if cheap non-spec oil was used. We are very happy with our Peugeot 2008.